For Don Marcelo, photography has been one of his creative passions since he first touched his dad's camera when he was only 8 years old. As a child, he also loved creating photographic collages, telling stories about his photographs, designing albums, and reading comic books.
Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he kept photographing and documenting his "life's little journeys." Little did he know back then that these "little journeys" would lead him to a career in both photography and graphic arts.
After graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in art with an emphasis in photography, he became interested in documentary wedding photography when he met serendipity in 2000. The wonderful documentary photographer Daniel Gohstand of San Francisco became his mentor and hired Don as his 2nd shooter/assistant. He also assisted other photographers in both the Bay Area and Southern California area, while he worked his other career in the computer graphic arts field. While working for corporate America, he mastered his other passions, Photoshop and photo retouching.
Along the way of "life's little journeys," Don continues to pursue his own photographic opportunities, shooting and documenting weddings and other creative freelance projects. He has also worked as a graphic production artist, a fine-art digital photographer, and as a high-end photo retoucher for several companies. His pursuit of knowledge, his passion for people, and his desire to continue learning drive him to excel in his creative vision. He believes that education is the best form of investment, whether from a colleague, book, or institution. Shortly, Don hopes to earn his Master's Degree.
Thank you so much for being a special part of our wedding. We made the right choice of hiring you. We feel so honored to have you as our photographer. Not only did you capture the spirit of the place and the event, you also caught those unexpected and quieter moments with a true artist's eye. You were an absolute joy to be around. Several of your images were chosen for publication in the annual Wedding Edition of Portland's Union Tribune. You were wonderful!
-Rebecca & Taylor Williams
Don is excited to talk to you about art, photography, and documenting your "life's little journeys." Please contact him to see how he can photograph, document, capture, and preserve those moments for you.